6 hidden tech hacks you didn't know about

Updated: May 22

Life hacks in general are something of a trend these days - There are so many crafty ways to shortcut tasks, make activities more fun, and to make processes easier. Have a read through our list and maybe try them out for yourself?

Hidden Tech Hacks You Probably Didn't Know About

1. Playing YouTube Videos Without Being On YouTube

Hidden Tech Hacks You Didn't Know About

We've all done it before, we go to check out a video on YouTube on our phone, then think we can keep it playing while we open and reply to a text on the same phone. There is a crafty way around this, in the form of how you view YouTube.

In the Google Chrome mobile app, there is a feature where you can browse in "desktop mode" - By toggling this feature on, you can load up a YouTube video from within the browser, and when you exit the Google Chrome app, or even just click to lock your phone, you will realise the video is still playing!

This hack works best for if you need a free way to listen to music, audio books or podcasts that might only be available on YouTube.

Hidden Tech Hacks You Probably Didn't Know About

2. Re-opening An Accidentally Closed Browser Tab Without Going Back Through Search History

Hidden Tech Hacks You Didn't Know About

Did your internet browser just close on itself? Sometimes these things happen, and it's a pain, especially if you're doing something important, like a post online or submitting an assignment - You fear that you might not be able to recover your work.

Fortunately, there is a hack available on both Windows PC and Mac. For Mac users, if you open up a new tab, then press Command + Shift + T.

For Windows users, press Control + Shift + T. The browser will re-open the last closed off tab on your PC or Mac, lifesaver! What's more, you can also keep doing this in case you closed off multiple tabs, as it will reload closed off tabs in reverse chronological order.

Hidden Tech Hacks You Probably Didn't Know About

3. Pages Loading Slowly? Check Your Internet Speeds In Two Seconds

Hidden Tech Hacks You Didn't Know About

When your browser just takes too much time to load up pages, or your videos are forever buffering, it may be as a result of very slow internet. To check your internet speed, simply type in "Internet speed checker". This will load up a page which automatically calculates the download and upload speeds for your current WIFI service.

This is a great way to perhaps claim partial refunds or compensation from your telecoms/data provider. Some providers commit to a minimum speed cap, and if your speeds are showing up as falling below the minimum standard on this tool, you can use it as evidence to back up your claim.

Hidden Tech Hacks You Probably Didn't Know About

4. Use Honey To Get Instant Discounts When Shopping Online

Hidden Tech Hacks You Didn't Know About

Why buy something online without checking if you can save a lot of money on it first?

People are going to be buying a lot of random stuff during lock down and when unable to work due to the current climate - That includes tech gadgets, clothes, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), food and much more. Honey is a free browser extension for internet browsers such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, that can automatically generate discount codes to save you money on your next shop.

As it is a browser extension, it takes under a minute to install, and you can simply connect via your email or through Facebook for example. A great, and extremely easy way to save money, without having to rack up coupons over a

long period of time.

Hidden Tech Hacks You Probably Didn't Know About

5. Reading Articles But They're Too Long Of A Read? Use TL DR And Get A Summary...

Hidden Tech Hacks You Didn't Know About

Sometimes we're reading the news, perhaps we're rushing a job for work, or an assignment for college... If you need the important parts from an article or web page, download the Chrome extension TL DR.

TL DR stands for "Too Long, Didn't Read", in other words, we're too lazy to spend 10 minutes trying to find the important stuff. TL DR can summarise a piece of text instantly, whether it is the full page, or a section of text you require, TL DR does a great job of providing condensed content, so you can take notes, or even go on to read the full content, should the summary prove

appealing to you.

Hidden Tech Hacks You Probably Didn't Know About

6. Play Netflix Movies From Your TV Through Your Laptop

Hidden Tech Hacks You Didn't Know About

If you've been bingeing on Netflix lately, or watching anything on your laptop really, you can quite easily get your screen mirrored onto your TV. This hack can make family nights in much more entertaining as you have free roam of films. Here's a cool tip, if you want to watch any film - Try Googling "(Insert movie name) Google Drive", you can probably download a copy of the majority of Hollywood Blockbuster movies.

As for mirroring your screen, all you need is for your laptop to have a HDMI output port, and your TV to have a HDMI input port. Connect a HDMI cable into each port, change the source on your TV to HDMI, and boom - Your laptop screen should be mirrored onto your TV screen!

Please do try out some of these hacks, they're very easy to do and can save you a lot of stress, and make activities much more fun and practical.

Thank you for reading 'Hidden Tech Hacks You Didn't Know About' by IT Block. IT Block is an IT support services provider based in Singapore and we are a registered Google News Source.